3-Needle Bind Off

The 3-Needle Bind Off is a great finishing technique for joining two pieces of knitting that are still on the needles. It is also a great time saver because you bind off and seam all at once!

Note that a 3-Needle Bind Off and the Kitchener Stitch are somewhat interchangeable. The advantage of a 3-Needle Bind Off is that it’s easier to do and that, because it creates an actual seam, it offers some structural integrity. The Kitchener Stitch is a bit trickier to work, but it creates a smooth and seamless finish. Same but different!

To end up with the seam on the wrong side of your knitting, arrange the two pieces with their the wrong sides facing out. Hold the needles parallel and slip a third (working) needle into the first stitch on each of the two needles.

Wrap yarn around working needle as if to knit, and knit the two stitches together. Allow the first stitch from each of the parallel needles to fall from the needles.

*Knit together the new first stitch on both parallel needles in the same way as above.

There will be two stitches on the working needle.

Using one of the two parallel needles, pass the first stitch on the working needle over the second stitch and off the needle, as you normally would when binding off.

14 Responses to 3-Needle Bind Off

Wow! So much knitting, so little time…..and as a fairly new knitter, some of the terms are terrifying! This 3-needle bind-off is SO easy….after you’ve shown it to me!
Thanks so much for a great tutorial!

I’m trying to follow this tutorial, which seems so great, but the website has a left margin popup that blocks a lot of it and won’t go away. What a drag! On a better note–I’d love to see a tutorial for a stretchy bind off.

Thank you so much for writing in! It is possible to use the Kitchener stitch for ribbing, but it is a bit tricky. To do it you will need to separate the knit stitches on to one needle and the purls on to another. You’ll do this with both sets of live stitches (you’ll have 4 needles). Next, arrange your needles so that the purl stitches are at the back. Ignore the purl needles and graft the knit stitches the way you would for stocking stitch. When you have competed the knit stitches you’ll flip everything over and graft the purl stitches. These will now look like knit stitches because you flipped everything over. Be sure to be careful with your tension because this method of grafting isn’t elastic like the ribbing itself.

Thanks for writing in. You can certainly use the 3-needle bind off if the pattern has cables. However, you will want to make sure that you are not cabling too close to the seam as that will pull on it. I hope this helps!

As Diane Falk says, “This 3-needle bind-off is SO easy….after you’ve shown it to me!” I totally agree…it is so much easier for me to learn a new stitch or technique by watching a well-made video, which this one surely is. Thanks for the instructions!
Can’t wait to make this cowl!

Good question. You’ll want to divide your stitches in half so you’ll have your working yarn coming from your end of round and the circular needle cord coming out at the midpoint of the round. It helps to switch to either a longer cord so there is a pronounced loop at the midpoint, two straight needles or two long double points. Best of luck!